Boys player of year: Braxton Blackwell

Braxton Blackwell puts on up as CPA plays South Side in the boys Class AA basketball semifinals at MTSU Friday March 14, 2014, in Murfreesboro, TN.(Photo: Larry McCormack Larry McCormack / THE TENNESSEAN)Buy Photo

Braxton Blackwell has plenty of good offers, but now he has a chance to get some great ones.

The Christ Presbyterian Academy sophomore will enter an important phase of his recruiting process during the next four months.

"The thing with Braxton, everyone knows who he is," said Jerry Meyer, the director of basketball scouting for 247sports.com. "His name is out there. The ball is sort of in his court. A ton of schools want him."

Blackwell, The Tennessean boys basketball player of the year for 2014, has 15 offers, including from Florida, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

If he plays well at AAU tournaments and impresses coaches during workouts at CPA in April and July, he might earn offers from even higher-profile schools.

"He's probably got to show that he's better than the guy (the elite programs) are recruiting ahead of him at the forward/wing position," Meyer said "It's kind of that simple. They are prioritizing which players they want to recruit at the positions they need."

The 6-foot-8 Blackwell led CPA (34-3) to the Class AA semifinals, averaging 19.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists. He shot 67 percent from the floor and 40.7 percent on 3-pointers.

Lions coach Drew Maddux said college coaches will be impressed by Blackwell's progress from last season.

"I look forward with excitement and anticipation at what college coaches are going to see with his development, his improvement of his skill-set and his maturity both physically and mentally," Maddux said. "I think they're going to see a more comprehensive, complete player than they saw last year on the circuit."

"It's a big summer for me, really," Blackwell said. "If I play really well, I think I can attract the big-time schools like Kentucky, Michigan State, Kansas. And that would be pretty cool for my recruiting."

Brentwood coach Dennis King's team has faced Blackwell twice in the past two seasons, both CPA wins. Blackwell reminds King of two former Midstate stars.

"I think he's more versatile — I won't say more skilled — than Alex Poythress," King said. "I think he has a lot of Shawn Marion in him. Blackwell might not be as explosive or as smooth as Marion was, but I think he's as quick or quicker and handles the ball a little better."

Battle Ground Academy coach Len McKnatt's team had no answers for Blackwell, who scored 14 points in an

86-52 loss in November.

"The thing that makes him so tough to guard is if you try to put a guard on him, he's so strong and athletic and so big that he can take you inside," McKnatt said. "If you try to put a bigger player on him, he shoots the ball well enough from the perimeter and he's quick enough where he's going to go by a big guy. He is a matchup nightmare for high school basketball because of his quickness and strength and being able to do so many different things."

Cascade's Mike Edmondson calls Blackwell one of the best players he's seen in 28 years of coaching. He saw him twice during losses in the Lions' first season in District 12-AA.

"He may be the best I've seen," Edmondson said. "He's right up there with Ron Mercer.

"Braxton really handles the ball well, and he's very unselfish. But I wouldn't be surprised next year if he scores 30 a game — they're going to lose so many players. He's just a nightmare, period."